Did people just forget about Supergrass? One of the best British bands of the mid 90’s has returned to form. The buzzing bass in the opener “Diamond Hoo Ha Man” reminds you why they can still school bands like Jet, The Strokes and The Hives. Lead vocalist Gaz Coombes hasn’t missed a step either, he still has that 70’s T-Rex swagger down pat. The Guitars and drum beat on “Bad Blood” bounce along to the chorus, and then rocks hard. One of the album’s highlights “Rebel in You” is a Bowie-like throw back to the days of “We’re in it for The Money” with blusey guitar distortion and loud harmonies that sticks in your head all day. The next track is the “When I Needed You” with it’s Beatle-influenced bass line and great melody. Then on “Rough Knuckles” you have a funky bass lead and echoy chorus that drips with cool aloofness. Then the group fires on all cylinders, with all kinds of instrumentation contributing to a song like “Whiskey and Green Tea,” it’s similar to Queen or Sparks in technique, but the hooks get lost here. Overall the album just doesn’t have consistency of earlier efforts, and a few ho hum tracks are filled in here (“Outside”) although the last song “Butterfly” is a edgy classic and the anthemic chorus here almost redeems the album. Supergrass fans will want this for sure. Others will enjoy it too, if you like your alt power pop loud and proud.
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Performing “Rough Knuckles” in the studio.